Photo by Tracy Le Blanc from Pexels.com
In this week’s activity, we were asked to create a visual of our network that identifies where and how we are situated. To perform this task, I used Microsoft Excel and Kumu to develop a graph of my LinkedIn social network.
Future of Social Media
According to Statista, a social media management site, the increase in social networks, like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn over the past few years has been exponential — rising from 3.48 billion users in 2019 to 3.78 billion in 2021, and with expected projections of 4.41 billion users by 2025 (Statista, 2020). This means between 2019 and 2025, the number of users will increase by 1.13 billion. Taking this into account, there is no doubt that social networks have become integral parts of our lives. However, as our networks expand, it becomes difficult to get a sense of its structure and the relationships that exist within.
For this activity, I have mapped my LinkedIn connections to better understand my relationships, reveal areas where I can boost growth, and increase my professional digital presence.
LinkedIn as a tool
Social networks consist of relationships between people. I created my LinkedIn account in 2010, to connect with other professionals and my alumni networks. My presence on this platform is Visitor in nature, as I use it as a tool to complete a specific task (e.g. search for career opportunities). My degree of connectivity for LinkedIn is at 404 connections. This is dramatically different from my Facebook account, where I am more Resident, with a total of 1,510 connections.
Click, here for a visual of my LinkedIn network in the form of a node map.
My Professional network
In this image we can see how each node (or point) on the graph represents a person (e.g. acquaintance, colleague, friend, or family member). Each node is then attached to a community by an edge (or line of connection) which represents a connection of friendship or contact based on their connection to me. Given this, it is possible to create a community of different people unified by common attributes (in this case institution affiliations), like the one you see above.
If we look at the map, we can see that 11 different communities have been detected. The largest communities are my acquaintances (professionals I have connected with over the past decade) closely followed by my university affiliations (The University of Manitoba, Korea University, and Manchester University). While the smallest communities are my ESL/EFL professionals and Royal Roads University contacts.
I purposely positioned myself at the center of these communities without edges as a representation of my present level of engagement with this tool (LinkedIn). Since I left teaching two years ago, I have neglected my professional network and turned instead to phone apps like, Slack, WhatsApp, and Facebook messenger to connect with smaller groups. As part of my DPDI plan, I hope to strategically tap into LinkedIn’s unlimited supply of network connections to further build my digital presence here.
As our interactions move increasingly online, it becomes important for us to evaluate our networks and filter our feeds with reputation and diffuse reciprocity in mind. Essentially, if we want to build a strong personal learning network, we need to be mindful of who and what is occupying our time. For as Idowu Koyenikan said, “Where your attention goes, time goes.” Finally, by ignoring the practice of critical consumption (to figure out the credibility of content online) we risk making decisions that can have huge consequences for “the cognitive, social, and cultural environments of the 21st century” (Rheingold, H. 2010, para 29).
My Reflection
Through the creation of a network map, I can gain greater network awareness, as it is possible to display a wide-range of complex systems in a visual way. Thanks to Kumu, this visual reveals that my LinkedIn network comprises of communities that were not thoughtfully constructed. Going forward, as I construct my digital identity and continue to grow my digital presence, I will keep in mind the five social media literacies of attention, participation, cooperation, network awareness, and critical consumption.
References:
Statista (n.d.). Number of social media users worldwide. Statista. Retrieved on April 29 from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/
Rheingold, H. (2010). Attention, and other 21st-century social media literacies. Educause Review, 45(5), 14.
Hi Ashley, your map is amazing! I read your struggles with creating your map on Slack, but we can’t really tell by the result. The network map looks flawless! I like the grouping you created by geographical locations with the different universities. You mentioned that you are currently using LinkedIn only for career; as you continue to use LinkedIn, I would encourage you to start posting on it to increase your profile. There are also great articles and posts from others that are worth reading, and when sharing them, you also increase your profile views. Just a little tip that may already do. 🙂 When going through this exercise, what surprised you the most? – Stephanie
Salut, Stephanie! Merci, pour votre message! Yes, I had a lot of difficulty getting my information in a useable format from Facebook. I was so grateful to LinkedIn for putting everything nicely into an excel spreadsheet, which made editing and uploading to Kumu much easier. As for your advice regarding making contributions on LinkedIn, I will do my best! I just shared with Corie that I am a little apprehensive to share more of myself online. I’m not entirely sure where this stems from, but I suspect it comes from a fear of being “exposed”, which is then likely tied to a deeper fear… Rejection! Oh dear, this reflection process is revealing to me that I am a little overdependent on external factors. Thinking back to Howard Rheingold’s article Attention, and other 21st-century social media literacies, when he discusses the importance of online participation, even if it’s no good and nobody cares, if only to provide others with a “different sense of being in the world”. With that in mind, I should dive in head first, so to speak, if my intent is to make meaningful contributions and connections. I need to show that I’m a real person, not just a resume profile. Stephanie, again thank you so much for your post. I’m curious, have ever experienced anxiety or reluctance around sharing online? Or, have you ever encountered security or privacy issues? Look forward to hearing from you 🙂
I love this Ashley! I agree that the raw data was unwieldy. I wondered about the value of going back to school to major in computer programming at one point!
In reading your post, I notice that you note that your network has migrated to smaller groups. In trying to expand back out, what do you think will be your biggest challenge to community-building? I’ve noticed that you’re very personable and operate very well on a 1:1 level. How do you see this aspect of your personality translating to a larger group?
Hi, Corie! Thank you so much for your message and questions. Going forward, I think my biggest challenge to community-building will be tending to “new” online relationships, as they require a little more time and effort to establish. As for your second question, I might run into a few obstacles with that one. As a shy extrovert (really energized by people but sometime avoidant in larger social situations) I find it challenging to put myself out there (for all to see) in order to grow my online presence. The majority of my LinkedIn contacts consist of individuals who I have met face-to-face, therefore I would feel quite comfortable posting whatever (even though I have not done so, thus far). However, connecting with strangers adds a new dynamic as they will view my shared content as a small reflection of me. That’s a little terrifying. I do not feel 100% comfortable with sharing more of my authentic self to individuals who will sum up who I am based on my content. And if I am being completely honest, I don’t even share much content on platforms I am more resident on… I think I’ve just realized I am one of those women that Eszter Hargittai and Gina Walejko speak about in their article The Participation Divide: Content creation and sharing in the digital age (2006). Why don’t I share more of myself and my creations online? Why do I save my authentic self for 1:1 interactions? Corie, I think it’s about time I jump out of my comfort zone and do things a little differently this time around, even if it’s uncomfortable (or even painful). Thanks for getting me thinking!
Hi Ashley, thank you for the relevance of your question regarding apprehension to post online. I am selective as what I post. I stay away from polarized topics such as politics, religion, and even lately, who is getting the vaccine. I didn’t realize it was such a contentious topic. I don’t use my social media when posting as my therapist either or to seek attention on a personal issue. When I post, it is purely informational and if I share insights, I do so with the purpose of helping someone else who may be experiencing a similar situation. – Stephanie
Yes, those are important points. Especially in today’s online climate, we have to be very mindful of the content we post and the discussions we become a part of. And as most of our online interactions are organized around the home, workplace, and neighbourhood. We should be more aware of the impact that these online conversations can have on our face-to-face interactions. I unfollowed a relative on Facebook a couple of years ago for his VERY controversial opinions of Greta Thunberg. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge advocate of free-speech. Actually, my high school yearbook quote from my graduating year was “I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” – Voltaire. But, I don’t want to spend time and energy on trying to persuade people to my “side”, especially those who don’t open an invitation for discussion. It’s unfortunate we’ve lost the art of argumentation and debate, and instead meet difference of opinion with hostility. Don’t people realize what starts online, doesn’t stay online? As Cormier’s reminded us in our Unit 3 video, what we put out on the internet doesn’t disappear, and that content can have a real impact on those who consume it. Thankfully, there’s some light at the end of the tunnel, as organizations like Common Sense are educating youth across North America on what it means to be a “digital citizen”. 🙂